Hen&#39;s nest.



No. @58,n2. Patented sept: la. |900'.

F. C.MEAGHEH.

HENS NEST..

(Application filed May 31, 1900.) t

(No Model.)

UNITED rSTATI-3s PATENT (Drittel-:Q

FRANCIS O. MEAGHER, OF ORLANDO, OKLAHOMA 'lERRl'lOR-Y.` t

HENS NEST.

SPECIFICATION forming1 part of Letters Patent No. 658,1 12, dated September 18, 1900.

Application filed May 31,1900. Serial No.l8,622. (No model.) y i To aZZ whom t may concern.: f

Be it known that I, FRANCIS O. MEAGHER, a 'citizen of the United States, residing at Orlando, in the county of Logan and Territory freely to and from the nest'and protectsher from intrusion while setting. vices of this type with which I am familiar the tilting platform is so arranged with re- In those de lation to the opening'or doorway into the` nest-box that the hen can gain access to the nest through the door without tilting the platform tov cdect the closure of the passage against intrusion, and no provision has beenI made for preventing hens from nesting under the front end of the platform, and thereby imprisoning the setting hen, or for preventing chicks from getting Linder the platform and getting crushed as the platform is tilted by the hen passing from the nest.

One object of my invention is vto construct the device in a manner to cause the inner end of the tilting platform to effect the closure of the opening or doorwayinto the nestbox when the hen is off the nest and to necessitate the tilting of the platform by the hen in order to gain-access to the nest-box, and thereby insuring the closure of theouter end of the passage-way and the protection of the hen against intrusion when she is on the nest.

A further object-of the invention is to close the opening into the passage-way below the tilting platform by a flexible guard-curtain which precludes the possibility of the imprisonment ofthe hen in the manner described and the possible injury to the chicks.

To the accomplishment of these several objects the invention consists in the construction and arrangementy hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and succinctly defined iu the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my hens nest complete. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof; and Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectionalview, the tiltingplat-l c,

form being shown in dotted lines ir1;position;55 Y to close the front end of*l the passage-wayas, for instance, when the nest isoccupiedand being shown in full liues'in'position to close the door into the'nest-box+as, for instance, when the nest is unoccupied.

Referring to the numeralsof reference, l

indicates a nest-box, preferably of substantially rectangular form, providedI with a hingedcover 2, an opening or'doorway 3 at one side of its front end anda series of hori- .-Zontal openings 4 in 'its'ksidefwa'lls' and 6 and in its front end at one side of .fthe door-l way to provide light and ventilation"A and to permit the hen to .view the eggs within the nest-box. From the front of the nest-box is 7o extended a comparatively-narrow Iyassageway 7, defined by side walls 8 `and 9,'(thev Y .wa1l8 being an extension of the wall' of the `nest-boze) and the transverse top and bottom .slats l0 and 1l, only two bottom slats 1l be- 75 Ling preferably provided and-located.,as shown,

at opposite ends of the passage-way. The

'wall 9 of the passage-way 7 is located at one edge of the doorway 3 and extends approximately from the vertical center of the front 8o wall of the nest-box, so that the doorway,

while being located adjacent to one side of -the nest-box, is presented directly across the end ofthe passage-Way 7. Within the passageway is tiltably mounted upon a rock-shaft 85 -12, jonrnaled in the walls 8 and 9, acounterbalanced tilting platform 13, longitudinally and transversely coextensive with'the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of the pas-l sage-way, the axis of the rock-shaft l2 being 9o located substantially in the horizontal plane fof the lower edge of the doorway7 Sand midway between the ends` of the passage-way, so

that as the front end of the tilting yplatform lis depressed .to .the .positionindicated in dotted lilies in 3 by the passage of the heu the inner end of the platform Will be elevated effecting the closure offthe outer end of the passage-way, and thereby preventing .other hens from-g`aining access to the nest-box. The transverse slats or rails l1 constitute 105 .stops which limit the depression of the opposite ends of the platform when it has been tilted to the positions shown in Fig. 3.

The device as thus far described comprehends a complete embodiment of my invention in its broadest aspect, since one of the essential features of the invention is that arrangement of the tilting platform with respect to the doorway which causes the inner end of the platform when elevated to obstruct the doorway in order to compel the tilting of the platform before the hen can pass into the nest-box. I prefer, however, to develop the invention still further by providing a flexible guard-curtain 14, designed to close the outer end of the passage-way 7 when the outer end of the platform is elevated, the purpose of this curtain being to prevent hens from setting under the elevated end of the platform, and thereby imprisoning the hen in the nest-box, and to prevent chicks from getting under the platform and being injured by the tilting of the platform when the setting hen leaves the nest-box. The curtain 14 is therefore coextensive with -1 that space defined by the outer rail 11 and the opposed transverse slat l0 and between the outer ends of the side walls 8 and 9 of the passageway, the curtain being of some iiexible material and secured along its upper and lower edges to the rail 1l and the under side of the platform 13 at its outer end, the edges of the curtain being disposed outwardly in ord er to cause the said curtain to fold under the platform when the curtain is depressed. 15 indicates a block supporting the outer rail 11 and extending slightly therebeyond to form a step to facilitate the entrance of the hen to the passage-way.

In use the operation of my device is as follows: The bottom of the nest-box l is covered with suitable nesting-as, for instance, straw-and for the first few days the hen is placed in the box by raising the cover 2; but after she has identified the nest as her own this will not be necessary, as she will see the eggs through the openings 4 and will follow around the sides of the nest until she nds the entrance to the passage-way 7. Passing up the tilting platform beyond which she can see the upper portion of the doorway said platform will be tilted to lower the inner end from its obstructing position, permitting the hen to pass into the nest-box but elevating the outer end of the platform to close the passage-way against the entrance of other hens, and thereby protecting the setting hen against intrusion, the elevation of the outer end of the platform serving to present the flexible guard-curtain la across the entrance for the purpose stated. When the hen leaves the nest-box, the preponderance of weight upon the outer end of the platform will tilt it to its initial position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have produced a simple and inexpensive hens nest, which will eifectually protect the hen against intrusion, to which it will `be impossible for the hen to gain access without elfectually closing the passage-way, and which is so constructed as to make it impossible for p the setting hen to be imprisoned or chicks to be injured by the movement of the platform; but while the present embodiment of my in- Vention appears at this time to be preferable, I do not desire to limit myself to the structural details defined, but reserve to myself the right to effect such changes, modifications, and variations as may fall properly within the scope of the protection prayed.

What I claim is- 1. A hens nest comprising a nest-box having a doorway, a passage-way extending from the nest-box, and a tilting platform located within the passage-way with its inner end located obstructively before the doorway into the nest-box in one position of said platform to compel the tilting of said platform in order to gain access to the nest-box."

2. A hens nest comprising a nest-box, a com paratively-narrow passage-way extending from the nest-box, said box being provided with a doorway disposed across the end of the passage-way, and a tilting platform within the passage-way and having its axis of movement substantially in the horizontal plane of the lower edge of the doorway to present the inner end of the platform obstructively before the door to compel the tilting of the platform in order to gain access to the nest-box.

3. A hens nest comprising a nest-box having a doorway formed in the front wall thereof adjacent to one side of the box, a narrow passage-way extending from the front of the box with the doorway of the latter presented across its end, a tilting platform within the passage-way with its inner end disposed obstructively before the doorway, and a guard for protecting the space below the outer end of the platform.

4. A hens nest comprising a nest-box having a doorway, the passage-way leading to the doorway,a tilting platform within the passageway, and a Iiexible guard-curtain secured at its opposite ends to the outer end of the platform and to the bottom of the passage-way to completely close the space within the passageway below the elevated outer end of the tilting platform.

5. A hens nest comprising a nest-box having a doorway, a passage-way extending from the nest-box, a tilting platform located within the passage-way, and a guard located below the outer end of the platform to completely close the entrance to the passage-way under the elevated outer end of the platform.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS C. MEAGHER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM W. HALLER, WINFIELD S. Hoovnr.. 

